


The First Encounter

by New_day



Series: The Life and Adventures of a Demon Hunter and a Wendigo [2]
Category: Hannibal (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, First Meeting, Love at First Sight, M/M, Supernatural Elements, Wendigo
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-12
Updated: 2019-02-12
Packaged: 2019-10-27 00:57:54
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,815
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17756759
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/New_day/pseuds/New_day
Summary: When Hannibal and Will meet for the first time, they are both intrigued by the strange, but fascinating creature in front of them...





	The First Encounter

Will is staring at the creature in front of him in fascination. This can't be real. He knew that they existed, of course, but he has never seen a being like this in real life, just in old books. It is monstrous, but quite impressive as well. The antlers on its bald head bear a certain similarity to Will's own pair of antlers, but in contrast to Will, the creature is pitch-black. Will knows immediately what it is, even though he can hardly believe it. A wendigo, without a doubt. In his whole life as a demon hunter, Will has never come across one of these creatures, and he thought that he never would, as wendigos are one of the rarest demons on this planet. And he certainly didn't expect to meet one of them at the FBI of all places, in Jack Crawford's office.

***

Hannibal is intrigued. It has been a while since he met a demon hunter, and he never met someone like this. An antlered creature with piercing eyes which emanate darkness, savagery. The face is covered in blood, blood which is almost black. Demon blood. Fascinating. What a wonderful, beautiful creature.

***

They stare at each other in silence for a few minutes, until Jack Crawford clears his throat while looking at both of them, obviously puzzled by their strange behavior. 

“So- about the Chesapeake Ripper. All we know about him is that he always kills three or four victims in a row and that he loves to create artsy, almost melodramatic murder tableaux at his crime scenes. But that's about it. We have no idea why he kills, there doesn't seem to be a pattern, his victims are of different age, gender and ethnicity. He always takes some of his victim's organs, but we have no idea what he's doing with these trophies either. That's why I decided to bring in Dr Lecter, Will,” Jack explains. “I hope he will be able to help us with the case, as he's an renowned expert on psychopathology.”

Will scoffs. “Oh, I'm sure he is,” he mumbles under his breath.

Jack frowns at him. “What was that, Will?”

Will gives him a glance, then his eyes lock with Hannibal's, and for a moment, there's a feeling of comradeship between them, of mutual understanding. They both know that they have to act as if everything's alright. Of course Jack isn't able to see them for what they are, no human is, all he sees are two men, one of them in his thirties, the other one in his forties. If they told Jack the truth, he wouldn't believe them anyway. He would think that they were insane, and they would probably both end up in Chilton's hospital.

Will forces a smile. “I said: I'm sure that Dr Lecter will be able to help us with the Ripper case. So, _doctor_ , would you mind telling us what you are thinking?”

Hannibal smiles back at him, amused by the demon hunter's thinly veiled antipathy. He can feel his demon slowly crawl back inside him, can feel his features turn back to his human form, now that he knows that the hunter doesn't pose a threat to him. No immediate threat, that is. Hannibal's change of appearance is mirrored by Will's, who gradually turns from an untamed, savage creature to a grumpy thirtysomething with unruly curls and eyes that remind Hannibal of the ocean. Quite a different kind of creature, but no less beautiful.

“I would be glad to give my opinion on this case, Mr Graham. I assume that the Chesapeake Ripper, as you call this killer, aspires to elevate his victims, so to speak.”

Both Jack and Will raise their eyebrows at him, and the doctor adds quickly: “According to the Ripper's own pathological way of thinking, of course. I believe that he sees his victims as lowly creatures who he chooses to uplift. In his opinion, he is elevating them to art by making them a part of his- what did you call it, Mr Crawford?- 'artsy, almost melodramatic murder tableaux'.” Will notices that Dr Lecter says the last words with a slight frown, as if he is offended.

Will stares at the middle aged, sharply dressed man thoughtfully, for a moment almost forgetting what he really is. “Of course, you're right. That's what he's doing, Dr Lecter. To him, his victims are unimportant, miserable creatures of no consequence, and he elevates them. His crimes are neither crimes of passion nor of hate. I think his victims probably bothered the Ripper in some way, did something to annoy him, but he doesn't really care about them. He believes that he's making them better than they've ever been in life, almost as if he's doing them a favor. He thinks they are unworthy of his respect, he doesn't even see them as human beings, they are no better to him than-”

And suddenly, it clicks. Suddenly, Will sees. He was about to say 'pigs' when he caught the doctor smirking at him and finally understood. Pigs. Of course. That's why. That's why the Chesapeake Ripper harvests organs. He's not taking them as trophies, but for much more practical reasons. He's-

“He's eating them,” Will hears himself say, still staring at Dr Lecter, who seems delighted. Why would he be delighted to be caught, Will is wondering. Will knows it's him, it has to be, and not just because of the way the psychiatrist is smirking at him. Dr Lecter has to be the Chesapeake Ripper. There aren't that many wendigos in Baltimore who need human meat to survive, after all. And who else but a wendigo would be capable of treating humans like livestock and eating them?

“He's what, Will?” Jack Crawford asks him.

Will hesitates. This will be hard for Jack to digest, Will probably shouldn't have said anything in the first place. He is going to take care of Dr Lecter by himself anyway, without the bureau's help, which he always does when the perpetrator is a demon.

“I think that the Chesapeake Ripper...is a cannibal. He's not keeping the organs as trophies, he's eating them.”

Jack glances at him uncomfortably. “A- cannibal? I see,” he replies. “Well, that seems a bit far-fetched, but I guess this theory is as good as any. By the way, how have you been feeling recently, Will? Are you still feeling unstable, or are you having trouble sleeping?”

Gritting his teeth, Will makes an effort not to show how annoyed he is by Jack's obvious disbelief and his insinuation that Will's theory might be a sign of his mental instability. But he can't let Jack see his anger. He has to go on playing the part of the empathic FBI profiler, like Dr Lecter has to play the part of the renowned psychiatrist. Again, Will has this strange sense of comradeship and gives the doctor a glance. He notices that Dr Lecter is frowning again, as if he were also offended by Jack's remark. Which of course he isn't, why should he? On the contrary, he must be glad that Jack doesn't believe Will.

“Thanks for asking, but I'm fine,” Will replies to Jack. “Since the encephalitis has been cured, I haven't had trouble sleeping anymore. And coming up with an unconventional theory doesn't mean I'm insane, Jack.”

Jack is about to answer when the psychiatrist barges in. “I have to agree,” he says. “I find your theory rather intriguing, Mr Graham, unconventional as it may be. Although cannibalism is quite a rare pathology, it's certainly not unheard of in the psychiatric field.”

Will just stares at him, almost impressed by the doctor's brashness, wondering if he should laugh or punch Dr Lecter in the face. In the end, he does neither, of course, but just smiles politely. “Thanks for the support, Dr Lecter. I really appreciate it.”

***

Jack seems confused about Will's new theory and Dr Lecter's support, but Will is barely listening to Jack anymore. He is deep in thought, making plans to kill the wendigo, and is glad when the conversation in Jack's office is finally over. Will leaves the office quickly, after saying good bye to Jack and the doctor- _the wendigo_ \- as calmly and politely as possible. Dr Lecter answers him in the same way and- winks at him. He must know that I'm planning to kill him, Will is thinking. He's probably already looking forward to his next meal, but that remains to be seen.

Will knows he has to act immediately. He has to kill this creature before it is going to kill and eat more people, probably starting with Will himself. Even though he has never crossed paths with a wendigo, Will knows how strong they are, much stronger than vampires or werewolves. But this doesn't scare him. He is adamant to kill the wendigo, and if he shouldn't succeed, he will at least die trying. Killing demons is what he's meant to do, even if the price were to be his own life. There's hardly any demon hunter who lives to a ripe old age anyway, dying young has always been the price of their vocation.

Hiding behind a tree near the parking lot, Will observes Dr Lecter getting into his car and follows him in his own, trying to be as inconspicuous as possible. A part of him is scared, another one excited and almost curious how this will play out.

When the doctor stops his car, gets out and enters his house, Will follows him a few minutes later. Opening a door without making a sound is the easiest part, but from now on it's going to be difficult.

***

It is indeed, for as soon as Will enters the corridor, the psychiatrist sneaks up behind him, and Will startles when he feels an arm around his waist and another one around his neck. It seems almost tender, like an embrace, and Dr Lecter's voice is soft when he says: “Hello, Will.”

Will turns around quickly, freeing himself from the doctor's embrace, and smashes his elbow into the man's face. In a matter of seconds, they both change into their nonhuman form, which gives them a preternatural strength. The wendigo snarls, but seems unaffected by Will's blow. They struggle, and Will manages to grab the creature by its neck. He starts to strangle it, relentlessly, with determination. The wendigo is watching Will, looking him in the eye with an affectionate smile, which confuses and angers Will so much that he loosens his grip. He expects the wendigo to take the opportunity to overwhelm him, but it doesn't move and just says: “I'm curious, Will. I don't know if you are aware of this, but as a wendigo, I have an exceptional sense of smell. Is becoming aroused a common occurrence for you when you strangle a demon?”


End file.
